50 injured as students, bus workers clash in Gopalganj
Vehicles get stuck in long tailbacks from Bedgram in Gopalganj town to Haridaspur bridge yesterday as students of Gopalganj Government Bangabandhu College and transport workers separately put road blockade on Dhaka-Khulna highway following clashes between the two groups.Photo: STAR
At least 50 people were injured in clashes between students and bus workers over extra fare at Gopalganj yesterday. Meanwhile, two groups of people clashed over taking control of an irrigation project in Kishoreganj yesterday, leaving 25 people from both sides injured. The students of Gopalganj Government Bangabandhu College went on excursions to Cox's Bazar, Chittagong and Comilla in three buses and returned to the town yesterday, reports a correspondent. As bus workers charged extra fare from the students just before entering the town, they (students) refused to pay the sum and locked in altercations with bus workers. When the buses reached police lines crossing at around 11:00am, the bus workers swooped on the students, leaving at least 30, including college teachers Md Selim and Aminul Karim and college students' union vice president Nazrul Islam Hira and AGS Titu Baidya, injured. Hearing the news, other students came out of the college, put up barricades on Dhaka-Khulna highway at Bedgram point and in front of the college and damaged 15 buses. They also locked in pitched battles with bus workers over a kilometre area from Police Lines to Bedgram crossing. At least 20 people, including 10 bus workers, were injured in the clashes. The bus workers also put up barricades on the highway at Police Lines crossing and in bus terminal area protesting attack on them and ransacking of buses by the students. According to a correspondent from Kishoreganj, two rival groups clashed over taking control of an irrigation project at Austagram in the district yesterday, leaving 25 people, seven by bullets, injured. The bullet-injured people were admitted to Bajitpur Medical College Hospital, while the rest to Austagram Upazila Health Complex. Locals said the two rival groups--one led by local Awami League leader and Kastal Union Parishad Chairman Sajan Uddin Bhuiyan and another by Khairul Miah--attacked each other over taking control of an irrigation project at Kastal at around 8:00am.
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